


Is This Love?

by Picajc



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Inspired by Music, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28795143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Picajc/pseuds/Picajc
Summary: When Moira leaves for LA for work, a young Johnny Rose comes to a startling realization.  Inspired by the song 'Is This Love" by Whitesnake.
Relationships: Johnny Rose/Moira Rose
Comments: 14
Kudos: 18





	Is This Love?

**Author's Note:**

> Just my take on how their first 'I love you's' might have happened. I love Johnny and Moira, and how much they love each other, so so much. I also love this song. Putting the two together seemed like a great idea- I hope you think so too. Enjoy!

**_May 13 th, 1980- JFK Airport, 8:45AM_ **

_I should have known better  
Than to let you go alone_

_It's times like these  
I can't make it on my own_

A young couple strolled leisurely through the terminal, hands locked tightly together, the woman’s heels clicking loudly against the tile floor. The terminal wasn’t crowded, but they hardly would have noticed if it was, so engrossed with each other they were. The pair were leaning heavily into one another, neither looking very happy to be there. It didn’t take much to guess that only one of them would be traveling and the other would be staying behind.

“Are you sure you _have_ to go?” John asked as they made their way to Moira’s gate. “I know you said this was a great opportunity, but surely there’s one just as good here in New York.”

Mora smiled sadly. “Not one quite so lucrative as this one, John. If this guest spot goes as well as I anticipate it will, it could very well be the moment I reflect on years from now as ‘the one that changed everything.’”

John sighed and kissed her temple. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just going to miss you. We haven’t spent more than a day apart since November.”

November would forever be a month that meant something to both of them. After dancing around each other for a year, they finally made things official one rainy night in November, after John had run the last two blocks to her apartment in the worst storm the city had seen in years. She opened the door to find him dripping wet, soaking the hallway carpeting. Before she could ask what he was doing there, or why he was drenched from head to toe, he had cupped her face in his hands and kissed her like his life depended on it. That had been a late Thursday evening, and he hadn’t left again until Monday morning. Now, six months later, he was about to see her off to Los Angeles to film a four-episode guest stint on a very popular primetime drama. If it went well, doors would be opening up wide, and he wanted that for her almost as much as she wanted it for herself.

Moira stopped walking and looked up at him. “I know and I will miss you terribly. But you’ll hardly notice I’m gone with all of your calls with potential investors.”

“I always notice when you’re not with me,” he replied with a smile and a gentle tug of her hand to keep walking.

They finally arrived at the gate just as first class was beginning to board. John had insisted on upgrading both the flight and hotel accommodations the show had provided. She had put up a lackluster fight initially, but he eventually won her over on the matter. Knowing she would at least have more than comfortable accommodations in his absence made him feel the tiniest bit better about not being there with her.

She turned to face him as he took both of her hands in his. “I guess this is it,” her voice shook ever so slightly.

“It’s going to be a long two weeks,” he replied, drawing her into his arms and wrapping her in a tight embrace, feeling something in his chest he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“I know,” she whispered, blinking furiously in an attempt to fight back tears. “I’ll miss you.”

“Not as much as I’ll miss you, sweetheart.” 

Moira looked up at him with teary eyes and his heart nearly exploded in his chest. _That_ was an entirely new feeling for him. Never before had a prolonged separation from a girlfriend made him feel so… so… he couldn’t even describe the feelings flowing through him.

Moira leaned up and pressed her lips to his in a long, drawn out farewell kiss. When they broke apart, her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. She placed a hand on the handle of her carry-on before leaning into him for one last peck on the lips.

“You’ll be too busy crafting your future to miss me.”

“ _Our_ future, and no I won’t.” _Our future_? Where had that come from?

It was true that he had several important conference calls scheduled to hopefully enlist investors in both the US and Canada for his next business venture- a video rental company. With the rising availability of VHS players to the everyday consumer, he really saw the potential in such an idea. If he could get enough of the right people on board, it would change his (and, yes, hopefully Moira’s) life forever. 

Moira’s eyes widened ever so slightly at his words, but she made no comment on the remark. “Goodbye, my darling.” And she started to walk backward toward the ticket counter.

“Bye, Moira. Please call me when you get to the hotel.”

“I will.” One more smile and a blown kiss came his way before she turned around and walked down the jetway.

He waited at the gate, staring out the glass where Moira’s plane was waiting to depart. He knew he wouldn’t see her from here, but that same _something_ from before wouldn’t let him leave until the plane did. As it pulled away from the terminal and toward the runway he waved, hoping that maybe even if he couldn’t see her, she might see him.

“How long is she gone for?” a voice to his right startled him.

John looked over to see a woman, perhaps in her 60s, standing next to him with kind eyes and a knowing smile.

“Two weeks,” he replied with a hint of melancholy. 

“Oh, dear that’s nothing compared to the years you’ll have ahead of you.”

John chuckled softly. “I know. But it’s the longest time we’ve ever spent apart.”

The woman placed a gentle hand on John’s arm. “My husband left to fight in Japan less than a year after we were married. I didn’t see him for more than six months before he was able to come home on leave. And then he was gone again for another six. But almost 40 years later here we are.” She gestured toward a man speaking with the agent at the ticket counter. “I think you and your lovely wife will make it these next two weeks.”

“It would be unfair of me to try and compare our separation to yours,” John offered, not even thinking to correct the woman’s assumption that he and Moira were married. “Thank you. And please, thank your husband, from me, for his service.” The woman nodded and John gently patted her hand before he made his way back through the terminal and to his car in the short-term lot. 

_Is this love that I'm feeling…_

**_May 13 th, 1980- New York, 4:15 PM / Los Angeles, 1:15 PM_ **

“Mr. Rose, Miss McGarry on Line 1 for you,” the voice of John’s assistant startled him from his daydreaming later that afternoon. He had been thinking about Moira, hoping her flight was going well, and that she made it to the hotel with no problems. So excited to be hearing from her finally, he scrambled to pick up the phone, dropping the receiver twice before finally getting a grip on it.

“Moira? Honey did you get in okay?” he asked.

“Oh _John_! It is simply lovely here!” she gushed. “The view at the hotel is breathtaking! I am so glad you convinced me to allow you to upgrade my room!” 

John couldn’t help but smile at the happiness he heard in her voice, and knowing he had had a hand in putting it there. “Anything for you, sweetheart. I’m glad you like it.”

“The only thing that would make it better is if you were here to enjoy it with me,” she added wistfully. 

“I wish I was,” he replied sincerely. “But you’ll be so busy on set most of the day you won’t even remember I am not there.”

She sighed. “That is simply not true.” A pause. “And besides, it’s not the days I’m concerned with. It’s the nights.” They could both count on one hand the number of nights they had spent apart in the last six months. And while their sex life in those months had been wonderful and exciting and ever evolving, it wasn’t what they’d be missing the most. The comfort and security of simply falling asleep in each other’s arms night after night, had become so engrained in each of them that the idea of _not_ having that for the next two weeks seemed excruciating. 

“You can always call to say goodnight,” he offered. “Or… other things…” he trailed off; the smirk as apparent in his tone as it was on his face.

“Jonathan Rose, you dirty dog,” she replied, feigning the scandalized tone of voice. He could see in his head the adorable blush coloring her cheeks as clearly as if she was right in front of him. “Besides it would be well after midnight there by the time I finally return to the hotel.”

“I don’t care if it’s 3AM, Moira. If you want to call, then I want you to call. I can’t imagine going an entire day without hearing your voice.”

“Oh John,” her voice hitched. “I… I can’t bear the thought of that either. But I know you have meet—”

“Stop right there. I don’t want my work to ever be the reason you don’t call me, Moira,” he stopped her. “And I don’t mean just now, I mean ever.”

John had quickly come to the realization early in their relationship that she meant more to him than any job or meeting ever would. Fortunately, Moira was not needy in a way that deterred from his work, or the plans he was making. She wanted for him what he wanted for him, for them. He’d found that his long-term plans suddenly weren’t just about him- they included Moira now, especially with this new deal looming in the distance. If everything went according to plan, he’d have the business he always wanted with the woman he loved—

_The woman he loved_. That was it. That was the something he felt earlier in the airport, the something he had been feeling more and more with Moira. It hit him like a tidal wave and he was powerless to stop the overwhelming surge that went through his entire being. He loved Moira. He was _in love_ with Moira.

_This must be love  
'Cause it's really got a hold on me  
A hold on me_

“John? John!” Moira’s voice brought him back to the present moment.

“I’m sorry, Moira,” he answered her shakily, still not quite over the rush that his realization had brought. “I must have lost you for a minute.”

“Are you alright? You sound a little funny, John.”

He wracked his brain for an answer. He couldn’t tell Moira he _loved_ her for the first time over the phone; that simply would not do. Not only did she deserve so much more than that, he wanted to be able to say it in person and see her face when he did.

“I’m fine, sweetheart. I, um, I just haven’t eaten much today- busy preparing for those calls tomorrow. It’s probably just low blood sugar.”

“Oh John! That simply will not do- you must be sure to eat properly if you’re going to be at your best for those meetings!”

“I promise I’ll grab something as soon as we hang up.”

“Well then I am hanging up now! Go get something to eat, John!”

“I will, don’t go just yet. What are your plans for the rest of the day?” He would listen to her talk for hours just to hear her voice. And having just come to the realization that he was in love with her, John wasn’t quite ready to let her go just yet.

“It’ll be an early night, I should think. I have an ungodly call time tomorrow morning. The directors have invited me for drinks with some of the cast a little later. I plan to attend that for no more than two obligatory cocktails before retiring for the evening. I have to be on top of my game tomorrow, you know.”

“I’m sure you will be.” Like him, Moira was never one to let the fun get in the way of the work. She knew what she wanted in her life as an actress, and she was willing to put in the time and effort to get it. Once the work was completed and perfected, then the fun could begin. “Call me before you go to bed?”

“Of course I will,” she replied happily. “Now go eat!”

“I am, I am! Goodbye, Moira.”

“Goodbye, John.” She blew him a kiss through the phone before hanging up.

The call ended, but John sat staring at the phone for what felt like an eternity. He loved Moira. More than that, he was helplessly, shamelessly, head over heels, reach for the stars, over the fence _in love_ with her. And he hoped she felt the same about him.

Before he even had time to really think about it, he was reviewing his schedule for the next few days with his assistant, trying to figure out which conference calls could be done from the hotel in LA, as opposed to his office in New York. The short answer was that other than the ones scheduled for tomorrow, they all could be done from anywhere. His assistant left the office, armed with a list of calls to make, the most important one being to the airlines, and booking as early a flight as possible to Los Angeles.

_And I can't wait to see you again  
So I can hold you in my arms_

_Is this love that I'm feeling?_

**_May 14 th, 1980- Los Angeles, 10:30PM_ **

After a successful day of securing the first round of investors for _Rose Video_ (the company name he’d decided on with Moira last night when she had called to say goodnight), John made a beeline for the airport and hopped on a flight to LA. He knew he could never wait for Moira to return home to him to say he loved her, so he did the only thing he could think of-- he went to her. He hadn’t told Moira he was coming, thinking it would be on par with his already grand gesture to surprise her. What he hadn’t counted on was her anxiety at not being able to reach him at home at midnight eastern time. 

“Oh John, where have you been? I was worried sick when I couldn’t reach you earlier!” she sounded highly distressed when he finally called her from the car on the way to the hotel. He felt guilty for causing her to worry, but hoped the payoff would be worth it. 

“I’m sorry, Moira. The meetings ran late and I was stuck in the office finalizing the agreements. I’m sorry I missed your calls and I’m sorry I worried you.”

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” she replied, sounding much more relieved. “Tell me about your day. How did your meetings go?”

Moira was thrilled with the news that his meetings had gone very well, and that his plans for _Rose Video_ were starting to come to fruition. He continued talking to her in the car in the hotel parking lot for another 20 minutes before finally saying goodnight, not wanting to risk upsetting her again by ending their call too abruptly.

Fortunately, he knew Moira’s room number as she had given it to him upon her arrival so that he could call her without going through the concierge. The entire ride up to her floor his heart was racing a mile a minute. Would she be happy to see him? How would she respond when he finally said the three words that had been haunting his every waking moment for the last 24 hours? Would she want to hear them? His heart said yes, but his mind continued to race.

_This must be love  
'Cause it's really got a hold on me_

Finally, the elevator doors opened to the 5th floor and John stepped out, wheeling his luggage behind him. He made a left out of the elevator and ventured down the hall to suite 514. As he reached her door, he took in a big breath and exhaled slowly. The next few minutes were going to define the rest of his life and the weight of that knowledge was heavy on his heart. He straightened himself up before raising a hand to gently knock on her door, quickly putting a hand over the peephole to keep her from seeing him right away.

He heard the rustling of the sheets and the soft tread of her bare feet across the carpet. She stopped in front of the door, and John couldn’t help but smile at her small grunt of annoyance at not being able to see who was at her door.

“Who is it?” she called hesitantly.

“A weary traveler, Miss McGarry. One who has come all the way from New York, for he has missed you more than you know,” John replied with a smile in his voice.

He heard Moira gasp before the door was flung open to reveal her in the black silk robe and matching pajamas he had bought her for Christmas, black eye mask pushed back into her blonde curls.

“JOHN!” she screamed as she flung herself unceremoniously into his arms. He caught her easily as she wrapped her arms and legs around him tightly, lips crashing into his as if they’d been separated for much longer than a day and a half. They stayed that way in the hallway for several minutes before disentangling from one another and making their way into her room. 

Once the door was shut, John took a moment to drink in the sight of her before his lips were on hers again, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other buried in her hair holding her as close as he possibly could. Moira melted into the kiss and returned it with just as much fervor, her arms looping around his neck. When the need for air finally broke them apart, he simply held her petite frame close, feeling like he never wanted to let her go.

“I’m so happy to see you,” she whispered, looking up at him. “What made you decide to come out here?”

This was it- the moment he had rehearsed inside his head over and over again for the past 24 hours. The moment that would quite frankly make or break him, and change his life for better or worse. It had to be perfect.

He cupped both hands around her face and looked into her bright blue eyes. God she was beautiful, and if the fates allowed it, she was all his, and always would be.

_How can I tell you, babe  
My back's against the wall  
I need you by my side  
To tell me it's alright  
'Cause I don't think I can take anymore_

_Is this love that I'm feeling..._

“I love you, Moira McGarry,” he said simply. “I am _in love_ with you. And waiting for you to come home to tell you that seemed impossible, so I came out here to you.”

Her mouth dropped open ever so slightly at his words. “What did you just say?” she whispered, tears starting to fill her crystalline eyes.

His smile faltered only slightly, not sure how to interpret the way she was responding. “I said, I love you.”

“Really? You really love me?” she sounded stunned, maybe even a little bit unsure. He found it both endearing and heartbreaking that she would even feel the need to ask. 

John nodded and smiled softly. “I do. I love you, Moira.”

“Oh, John,” she choked, tears beginning to stream down her face. She fell sobbing into his arms, and held onto him like her life depended on it. He held her just as tightly, waiting for what felt like an eternity for her to say something more. Finally, she leaned back just enough to look him in the eye, mascara and tears staining her face. “I knew you would be worth waiting for the moment I met you. I have been wanting to hear you say those words to me for such a long time.” She hiccupped through her tears before finally she said, “I love you too, John. So very much.”

The grin that broke out on John’s face was bigger and brighter than any he had ever worn. She said she loved him too. No four words would ever sound as wonderful to him as those did from her lips. He began to pepper kisses all over her face and neck, punctuating each one with an ‘I love you’, much to her delight. They made their way over to the bed and fell onto it, John careful not to crush her beneath him.

She took his head in her hands and held it above her, staring into his chocolate eyes, seeing so much love in them, and knowing it was all for her. “You really flew all the way out here to tell me you loved me?”

He laughed and kissed her lips again before answering. “Well, I couldn’t tell you I loved you for the first time over the phone, could I?”

She shook her head. “No. This was much better.” She leaned up to kiss him again. When she pulled back, a sly smile graced her features. “But is that _all_ you came out here for?”

John grinned down at her. “Oh, I’m sure we could think of a few other things to do while I’m here...”

“Such as?” Moira played along, sliding farther back onto the bed.

He followed her until he was once again hovering over her. “For starters, I’d like to spend the night making love to the woman I love.”

The look she gave him made his insides melt. “The woman who loves you, would love nothing more.”

_Is this love or am I dreaming  
Is this the love that I've been searching for_

_This must be love  
'Cause it's really got a hold on me…_


End file.
